The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a flight trajectory and observation theodolite.
Generally speaking, the flight trajectory and observation theodolite of the present development is of the type comprising a stand portion and a measuring portion having two housings arranged in spaced relationship from one another upon a yolk element, the housings serving to mount optical devices, especially a telescope and a telescopic sight. With such theodolite a stand element of the stand portion together with the measuring component is rotatable about a vertical azimuth-axis of rotation upon a socket element mounted to be non-rotatable upon a foundation. The telescope together with the telescopic sight are mounted to be pivotable about a common horizontal elevation-tilt axis.
With a theodolite of the previously mentioned type, for instance as disclosed in German Pat. No. 1,772,521, it is known to provide an appropriately constructed device arranged essentially in the support column, in order for horizontally positioning the support column and the precision angle measuring device composed of optical devices and supported upon the support column. For the coarse horizontal positioning of the support column there are provided between a support ring of the support column and a base ring mounted upon the foundation three circumferentially distributively arranged wedge elements which can be operated by a threaded spindle drive. The end plane of the support column, constructed for supporting the angle measuring device, likewise can be levelled in the horizontal plane. To this end, the cylindrical jacket of the support column is split at three locations by a lens-shaped gap into two wall halves. These wall halves, under the action of a threaded spindle drive penetrating both wall halves, can be pressed together against the resilient restoring force of the wall halves, so that there is obtained the vertical length change needed for leveling. The accuracy of the horizontal leveling operation of .+-.1 angle seconds, needed for the exact measurement of the trajectories, partially requires a subsequent, costly manual post-machining of the end plane of the support column, for instance by planing or the like. The described apparatus for the horizontal positioning of the support column by means of the wedges and for leveling the horizontal plane for the angle measuring device by means of the special constructed wall halves which are complicated to fabricate, only has a limited field of application due to the arising deformations.
There is also known from Swiss Pat. No. 488,166 an observation and measuring theodolite which comprises a stand column mounted upon a socket and a support ring mounted upon the stand column in order to support a housing. All of the elements secured and mounted at or in the housing together with the driven housing are rotatable about the vertical central axis of the stand column of the support ring. The horizontal positioning of the stand column as well as leveling of the housing supporting the optical devices has not been disclosed or illustrated in this reference.
Furthermore, an optical testing device has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,025 wherein there is provided a bearing element within a base body. This bearing element is provided with an inner spherical surface. Within the bearing element there is provided a housing having a corresponding spherical surface and constructed to receive a reflector. The housing together with the reflector or mirror can be adjusted in the bearing element and can be fixed in relation to the base body by means of screws.